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☆ FTC is investigating ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for potential harm to consumers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addresses a speech during a meeting, at the Station F in Paris on May 26, 2023. As the nation’s top consumer protection watchdog, the FTC is empowered to prosecute privacy abuses, untruthful marketing, and other harms. FTC Chair Lina Khan has argued that the agency’s existing congressional mandate provides ample authority for the FTC to prosecute abusive uses of AI. Some critics of OpenAI previously filed a complaint to the FTC claiming that algorithmic bias, privacy concerns and ChatGPT’s tendency to hallucinate may violate US consumer protection law.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, OpenAI didn’t, Joel Saget, Lina Khan, “ turbocharge, Khan, ” Khan, ” OpenAI Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, The Washington, CNN, Getty, European Union, scammers, New York Times Locations: Paris, AFP, “

☆ Over 7,100 student-loan borrowers will get $3.5 million in refunds after a debt relief company was accused of illegally charging them up to $699 in fees to reduce their federal balances, a consumer wa
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

7,100 borrowers will receive $3.5 million worth of checks in the mail after the CFPB said they were scammed. The CFPB accused Timemark, a debt relief company, of illegally charging federal borrowers fees. Scams are likely to grow following the Supreme Court decision to strike down student-debt relief. According to the bureau, Timemark charged borrowers "illegal advance fees" to reduce their federal student-loan balances when the Education Department offers those services for free. Over the past few years, the CFPB — along with the Federal Trade Commission — have scrutinized a range of student-debt relief companies over potential fraudulent behavior.

Persons: Timemark, —, Joe Biden's, scammers Organizations: Service, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Timemark, Inc, Education Department, Epiq Systems, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Federal Locations: Timemark

☆ FTC warns about student loan scams following Supreme Court decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Scammers are likely to target student loan borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration's debt forgiveness plan Friday and as loan repayments are poised to restart in the fall, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Scammers often "take advantage of confusion around big news like this," the FTC said in a consumer alert issued Saturday. More from Personal Finance:Biden administration gives student loan holders payment leewaySteps student borrowers should take after Supreme Court rulingWhat Supreme Court student loan ruling could mean for economyThe Biden administration forgiveness plan would have erased up to $20,000 of federal student loans for tens of millions of borrowers. Now, they and other borrowers must brace for monthly loan payments to restart in October, after more than three years of an interest-free pause. President Joe Biden said Friday after the Supreme Court's ruling that his administration would pursue another way to deliver debt forgiveness.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden Organizations: Biden, Federal Trade Commission, Finance

☆ Scammers are taking advantage of the confusion around student loans after SCOTUS axed Biden's debt forgiveness plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, scammers are taking advantage. The Federal Trade Commission issued a notice warning against giving away student loan information. Student loan payments are set to resume in October, though there could be some flexibility for borrowers. and if a "caller/texter asks for your Federal Student Aid ID, bank account number, or credit card information." In the meantime, payments on federal student loans are set to resume in October.

Persons: Joe Biden's, —, you've, scammers, John Roberts, Biden, Roberts, John M, Formella Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Service, Federal, FTC, Department of, Federal Communications Commission, Aid, Education Department, . New Hampshire, FCC Locations: StudentAid.gov, . New

☆ Two guys who were fed up with spam calls created a ChatGPT tool that trolls telemarketers and wastes their time
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jolly Roger is a telephone service that uses AI to fight back against pesky telemarketing calls. With the prevalence of robocalls across the country, Jolly Roger serves as a way to fight back. A telephone service called Jolly Roger harnesses ChatGPT and voice modulation software to create and read scripts to telemarketers. There were 4.7 billion spam calls made in November 2022 and 5.08 billion this past May, according to YouMail's robocall index. Until a world where dubious calls from unidentified numbers exists, Jolly Roger will do its best to alleviate the annoyance.

Persons: Jolly Roger, pesky, Whitey Whitebeard, Sally, telemarketers, Roger Anderson, Anderson, Steve Berkson, Berkson, Steve, Sid Berkson, Berkson's, ChatGPT, it's Organizations: Morning, Street Journal, robocalls, Force Locations: Washington, Arizona

☆ AI Voice Generators Are Fueling a Terrifying New Phone Scam
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

As soon as he heard his dad's voice, Eddie, a 19-year-old TikToker, knew something was up. But with AI, the voice on the other end of the phone can now sound eerily like the real deal. Plus, more people are making their real voice available to scammers: McAfee said 53% of adults shared their voice data online weekly. McAfee also found that over one-third of victims lost more than $1,000 in AI scams, with 7% losing more than $5,000. Then, the scammer can just type out whatever they want, and the AI voice will speak what is typed in real time.

Persons: Eddie Cumberbatch, Eddie, —, Eddie's, Eddie didn't, tricksters, scammers, McAfee, aren't, Richard Mendelstein, Stella, panicking, it's, Steve Grobman, Grobman, they've, Neil Gorsuch, Kamala Harris, Ally Armeson, cybercrime, Armeson, Eve Upton, Clark Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, People, FTC, McAfee, Google, Washington Post, Supreme, Cybercrime Support Locations: Chicago, Mexico City, Canadian

Our experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here's how). Fraudulent activity by scammers trying to get your personal information has increased significantly. Check washing, robo calls, and even student loan forgiveness scams can walk scammers right into your bank account. Student loan forgiveness scamHow it works: Under the Biden Administration, student loan forgiveness applications opened in 2022. Be skepticalRight now, money scams are at an all-time high.

Persons: —, scammers, they're, It's Organizations: Service, Biden Administration, Social, Department of Education, US Postal Service

Genius, formerly known as Rap Genius, maintains a vast database of song lyrics. "We license lyrics on Google Search from third parties, and we do not crawl or scrape websites to source lyrics," Castaneda added. The Genius lawsuit stated that one of the first Google posts it suspected as copying involved the lyrics for the song "Panda" by the rapper Desiigner. "I got broads in Atlanta," part of the song's lyrics read. Genius said in its appeal to the Supreme Court that the 2nd Circuit's ruling would give "behemoths like Google" a free pass to "vacuum up content and increase their internet dominance."

Persons: Alphabet's, Genius, Jose Castaneda, " Castaneda, Hittin, bando, Kendrick Lamar, Selena Gomez, Alessia Cara, Joe Biden's, Blake Brittain, Will Dunham Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Alphabet's Google, Google, eBay, Genius, The, Circuit, Thomson Locations: New York, Atlanta, The New York, Washington

☆ Scammers Target Stores With Bomb Threats, Seeking Bitcoin and Gift Cards
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jaewon Kang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/scammers-target-stores-with-bomb-threats-seeking-bitcoin-and-gift-cards-49a2e87c

Persons: Dow Jones

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms FTX Trading Limited FollowNEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) - A group of media organizations on Friday appealed a court decision that allows collapsed crypto exchange FTX to keep customer names secret during its bankruptcy case. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey in Wilmington, Delaware, ruled earlier this month that FTX did not have to reveal its customers' names because doing so could expose them to identity theft and other scams. After the judge in the Celsius case ordered customers' names be revealed, Celsius users saw an increase in phishing attacks from scammers who posed as bankruptcy attorneys and Celsius employees, according to FTX's court filings. FTX said it had approximately 9 million users who might be targeted by scams if their names were revealed. FTX Trading and more than 100 affiliates in November filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware to address claims that the company misused and lost billions in customers' crypto deposits.

Persons: John Dorsey, FTX, Dorsey's, scammers, Sam Bankman, Fried, Dietrich Knauth, Alexia Garamfalvi, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Bloomberg, Dow Jones & Company, The New York Times Company, Financial, Thomson Locations: Wilmington , Delaware, Delaware

☆ Three years after a pandemic shut down the country, COVID-related phone scams are once again on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three years after COVID-19 swept through the United States, COVID-related phone scams are back on the rise. Hiya, a robocall-blocking app, released a report detailing recent popular COVID-19 phone scams. The COVID-related phone scams include defrauding Medicare and the IRS. "Callers who offer 'free supplies,' 'no-cost' lab tests, or say you need a replacement Medicare card are scammers trying to get your Medicare number," the FTC wrote. According to Hiya, there's been a sharp rise in scammers trying to gain personal information and money by helping people file for ERTCs.

Persons: —, Hiya, it's, there's Organizations: IRS, Service, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Internal Revenue Service Locations: United States, scammers

☆ In MMOs Like Old School RuneScape Scammers Use ChatGPT to Fuel Bots
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Evan Malmgren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

But the bots using ChatGPT began to rapidly improve, and SirPugger realized the automated players would soon become almost indistinguishable from human players. In some cases, these AI-powered bots seemed to commiserate with real players, even complaining about the overabundance of bots. At the same time, bot scripts could eventually enhance rather than detract from the social aspects of online games. Online shooters like "PUBG" and "Fortnite" already populate their multiplayer lobbies with AI bots, but the social emphasis of MMOs means that they are uniquely well positioned to reap the prospective benefits of chatbot integration. Worlds would appear to become more populous, and though "real" players might still be cheated out of leaderboard slots, they wouldn't necessarily know it.

Persons: Jagex, SirPugger, Joe, Bots, countermoves, OpenAI, botters, Ted Chiang, Mark Zuckerberg's, Kylan Gibbs, Gibbs, Evan Malmgren Organizations: Studios, Inworld, AI Locations: British, botters, MMOs

☆ 37,800 student-loan borrowers are getting $3.3 million worth of checks in the mail after a debt relief company 'falsely' promised loan forgiveness but instead 'pocketed customers' payments,' a federal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The FTC accused Arete Financial Group of scamming student-loan borrowers out of $3.3 million. Specifically, the FTC said the group promised debt relief but instead pocketed consumers' payments. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it is sending checks totaling over $3.3 million to 37,800 student-loan borrowers who gave money to Arete Financial Group, a debt-relief company. According to the FTC's press release, Arete Financial pretended to be affiliated with the Education Department and "falsely" promised borrowers debt relief, but instead, "pocketed customers' payments and never provided the promised relief." "These lawsuits to shut down student loan debt relief schemes continue the agency's crackdown on junk fees, unwanted calls, and financial exploitation."

Persons: —, Arete, Joe Biden's, Samuel Levine Organizations: FTC, Arete, Service, Federal Trade Commission, Arete Financial, Education Department, Administration, White House and Education Department, Consumer Financial, Bureau, FTC's Bureau, Consumer

☆ If you're looking for a last-minute trip to Cape Cod during the 'busy' season, you might be in luck. Summer rentals are sitting empty.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It's not too late to book a short-term vacation rental on Cape Cod this summer. Even as the vacation hot spot enters its busy season, locals are seeing the demand for vacation rentals soften. The occupancy rate is down 20% from last year, according to The Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors. After listing those homes on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo, the supply of vacation rentals is through the roof. The real estate group says the average daily rate has climbed to $619 up from $525 last summer.

Persons: It's, —, Airbnb, Insider's, Vrbo, Beth Teitell, Ryan Castle, John Greim, Annie Blatz Organizations: Service, Islands Association of Realtors, Boston Globe, Globe, Getty, Kinlin Grover Compass Locations: Cod, Cape Cod

It was by a young Chinese pitch invader, eager to meet his hero, the seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or. Videos that have gone viral on Chinese social media show the young fan leaping from the stands before sprinting toward the Argentine striker – who like him was wearing the number 10 jersey – and giving him a hug. A Chinese fan runs onto the pitch to hug soccer superstar Lionel Messi during a friendly match between Argentina and Australia at the Worker's Stadium in Beijing on June 15. Ng Han Guan/APWith the crowd cheering three security guards then give chase, the first of them falling over as the young fan evades his grasp. On Chinese social media, many users – football fans or otherwise – celebrated the young fan’s sprint across the grass pitch as a liberating moment.

Persons: Lionel Messi –, –, Messi, Lionel Messi, Ng Han Guan, Emiliano Martinez, ”, Thomas Peter, ” “ Messi, I’m, flailing, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN, Australia, Argentine, Workers, Global Times, Messi, Reuters, FIFA, De Football Association, Indonesia Locations: Beijing, Argentina, Australia, China, Jakarta

☆ Don't send checks through the mail, the post office is warning. Criminals are stealing more than ever.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Reports of check fraud have steadily risen since 2020, with stimulus checks becoming a target. There were 680,000 reports of check fraud in the US in 2022, compared to 350,000 in 2021. Don't put checks in the mail, the US Postal Service is warning. The Postal Service investigated and Fischgrund has recovered about 70% of the revenue, but some of the cases haven't yet been resolved. Fischgrund said he'd never previously had an issue with check fraud in the nearly 10 years he has run his own business.

Persons: Banks, Eric Fischgrund, Fischgrund, he'd, Leonardo DiCaprio Organizations: Morning, US Postal Service, US Postal Inspection Service, Federal Reserve, US Mail, Network, PR, Postal Service Locations: United States, New York

“Messi” soon became the top trending topic on Chinese social media platform Weibo, while video footage showed hundreds of fans swarming the team’s hotel entrance in the hope of catching a glimpse of their idol. Argentina’s pre-match training session was delayed for safety reasons Sunday after “outrageously passionate” fans made it impossible for the team to leave their hotel, Global Times reported, citing game organizers. One fan was so eager to meet Messi that he spent 10,000 yuan ($1,400) on rooms at multiple Beijing luxury hotels in the hope of seeing the star, Global TImes said. AFA/Handout/ReutersSeveral unofficial Weibo accounts also claimed to offer VIP stadium passes, front-row seats for the game and autographed Argentina jerseys at inflated prices. Argentina will next travel to Jakarta for a friendly against Indonesia on June 19, though it is unclear if Messi will join the squad for that game.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Lionel Messi, scammers, “ Messi, ” Messi, “ Messi ”, Argentina’s, “, Messi, ” Argentina's Lionel Messi, d’Or, Germain Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Australia, Weibo, Global Times, Workers, Beijing, AFA, Reuters, Messi, Barcelona, Major League Soccer, Inter Miami, Paris Saint, Indonesia Locations: Hong Kong, Argentina, Beijing, China, United States, Jakarta

☆ If your bank texts you to warn you of a fraudulent charge, that's likely a scammer, FTC warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The FTC said bank impersonation led to $330 million in reported consumer losses in 2022, doubled from 2021. The FTC just issued a new warning saying bank impersonation has become the top type of fraudulent text messages scammers are using these days. Bank impersonation resulted in $330 million in reported consumer losses in 2022, the FTC said in a new report released on Thursday. As soon as you can, review your transaction history to verify that such a transaction is pending and call the bank using the phone numbers on your statements or card. Bank of America also warns to never click a link in a suspicious text message as it could load malware on your phone.

Persons: Scammers, That's Organizations: FTC, Morning, Bank of America, Walmart Locations: Wells, Wells Fargo

☆ The viral AI-generated image showing an explosion near the Pentagon is 'truly the tip of the iceberg of what's to come,' tech CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

People need to prepare for a surge in AI-generated content being shared online, a tech CEO told CNN. The viral image of an explosion near the Pentagon is just "the tip of the iceberg," Jeffrey McGregor said. The viral AI-generated image showing an explosion near the Pentagon is "truly the tip of the iceberg of what's to come," a CEO who works in image authenticity detection has warned. Earlier this year, a photographer sparked debate about whether AI-generated images can be classed as art after an image he created using DALL-E 2 won a major international photography competition. It's not just AI-generated images that are being used to deceive people.

Persons: Jeffrey McGregor, we're, Donald Trump, hadn't, It's, Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, Emma Watson, McGregor, Ben Colman Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Reality

☆ Opinion: Ambitious, tech-savvy and jobless. Why India’s young people could reshape the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Opinion Snigdha Poonam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Her book, “Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World,” was longlisted in 2019 for the PEN America Literary Awards. Unlike China, which leveraged its demographic dividend through large-scale factory employment, India’s economic growth does not rely on young workers manufacturing goods. Catering to a market of 750 million smartphone users, India’s fast-growing gig economy is attracting young workers in great numbers. As incidents of abuse and exploitation pile up, many of India’s gig workers are questioning their career choice. Feeding the social media monsterThere are other ways in which India’s young people are shaping the future of technology.

Persons: ”, Raju Rai, Rai, “, ” Rai, Dhiraj Singh, Mithun Kumar, Kumar, hyperlocal, Jewel Samad, Mohit Yadav, Monu Manesar Organizations: PEN, CNN, Delhi CNN, Facebook, Catering, Bloomberg, Getty, YouTube, Big Tech, Twitter, New York Times Locations: Delhi, India, Thailand, Indian, Varanasi, Bangkok, Myanmar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Southeast Asia, Europe, China, Mumbai, Bihar, Covid, AFP

☆ AI is being used to 'turbocharge' fraud with voice cloning scams, and regulators 'need to be vigilant early,' FTC chair warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The FTC chair warned that AI is being used to "turbocharge" fraud and scams, per Bloomberg. It follows reports of scammers using AI voice-cloning to trick parents into believing their children are in trouble. But Lina Khan added some existing laws should already apply to AI, so regulators "need to be vigilant early." The FTC chair warned that regulators around the world failed to intervene as the internet rapidly expanded in the early 2000s. And to avoid a repeat of this with AI, Khan said that regulators "need to be vigilant early," per Bloomberg.

Persons: Lina Khan, he'd, Sam Altman, Khan Organizations: Bloomberg, Federal Trade Commission, Washington Post, FTC Locations: New York City, Canadian

[1/3] A tyre produced by the Finnish group Nokian Tyres on display at a dealership in Moscow, Russia, March 23, 2023. Nokian Tyres' protracted departure illustrates the growing headwinds faced by Western companies that have yet to fully depart the country. "The war changed the operating environment in a rapid and unpredictable way," Nokian Tyres' Chief Transformation Officer Johanna Horsma told Reuters. Additional valuation requirements published in mid-December came in the middle of Nokian Tyres' transaction, he added. The buyer needs to be well selected to avoid scammers, said Nokian Tyres' Horsma.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Johanna Horsma, Finland's Fortum, Germany's, Peter Wand, Baker McKenzie, Thomas Kormendi, Kormendi, Alexei Moiseev, Moiseev, Nokian, Tatiana Stanovaya, Elopak, Baker McKenzie's Wand, Alexander Marrow, Darya Korsunskaya, Matt Scuffham, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Nokian Tyres, REUTERS, Finland's, U.S . Treasury, Reuters, Companies, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, finalising, Ukraine, Western, Frankfurt

☆ Tourists kept turning up at a woman's house in London after it was mistakenly listed as up for rent on Booking.com
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A woman told the BBC that tourists kept showing up at her house after a Booking.com error. Around 20 guests showed up in the last month, thinking her house was a holiday rental, she said. "We just need it to stop somehow," Arsenius told the BBC. The tourists who have turned up are from countries including Algeria, Canada, India, and the US, the BBC reported. The company told the BBC in a statement that scammers are behind the mistake and that it had removed the listing from its site.

Persons: Booking.com, scammers, —, Karin Arsenius, Arsenius, Sabrina Salomé Schneider, Schneider Organizations: BBC, Service Locations: London, Plumstead , London, Algeria, Canada, India, Argentina, Booking.com

☆ Scammers are conning Trump supporters out of thousands with 'Trump Bucks' they claim can be exchanged for real cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump supporters are reportedly being scammed out of thousands of dollars on items like "Trump Bucks"Some of the supporters were convinced by fake videos of Trump and Elon Musk promoting the products. A new report from NBC News shows some people thought buying the memorabilia would make them rich. Several companies are allegedly using advertising tactics including creating AI-generated videos of Trump and other figures like Elon Musk to claim the worthless "Trump Bucks" will make them rich, according to a new report from NBC News. Some of the people who bought the Trump memorabilia have attempted to exchange it for real US dollars at banks, and told NBC News that bank employees are reporting it as a growing issue. One ad for the "Trump Bucks" — featuring a seemingly AI-generated voice identified as "John" — states "most people believe that the presidential election interfered with the course of history" and identifies Trump as "the great leader."

☆ What parents need to know about P2P payment apps as Venmo adds teen account
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Maskot | Maskot | Getty ImagesApps are 'convenient,' but woes can be 'difficult to fix'Peer-to-peer payment apps, also known as P2P apps, are widely in use throughout the U.S. Teresa Murray, a consumer watchdog at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, urges caution when using P2P apps. "There are real consequences if something goes wrong," she said. watch now"People use these P2P apps because they're convenient and they're easy," Murray said. Talk to your teens about moneyAs your teen learns about budgeting and payment apps, experts urge parents, it's important to discuss these topics with them at home.

Persons: Teresa Murray, PIRG, Murray, LendingTree, scammers, Desiree Kaul Organizations: Maskot, Getty, Consumer Reports, U.S . Public Interest Research, Consumer Financial, PayPal, CNBC Locations: U.S, Satellite Beach , Florida

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